The Democrat raised more money in public funds than the Republican.

“In a race that has turned caustic in its waning days,” former Ambassador Phil Murphy (D) and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno (R) “spent most of” their second TV debate “Wednesday night speaking past each other, seemingly eager to land the next attack.”

“Guadagno focused on property taxes, tying nearly every answer back to her vow to lower the burden on voters, partly through her plan to cap school property taxes at 5 percent of a family’s annual income. Mr. Murphy, she said, had no plan to lower property taxes.”

“For his part, Mr. Murphy said ensuring that the state fulfills its obligation to fund schools completely was a form of property-tax relief, since it would lessen the burden on individual taxpayers. He said the Christie administration underfunded New Jersey schools by $9 billion. … Murphy … has at times pursued a cautious approach, trying, it seems, not to stumble while having the upper hand. At Wednesday’s debate, he sought to avoid providing direct answers on some divisive issues. When asked if he would commit to extending a cap on raises for police officers and firefighters, he demurred, saying he was waiting for a report on the issue, which is scheduled to be released in December.”

“Murphy noted that he and his opponent occasionally took similar positions on issues during the campaign that were different from Mr. Christie. But referring to her tenure as lieutenant governor to Mr. Christie, he asked, ‘Where have you been?’ ‘If I had a battle, I made those in private,’ she said.”

“Guadagno also said that she supports Mr. Christie’s plan to offer Amazon billions in tax credits to try to persuade the company to locate its second headquarters in New Jersey, though she did not commit to having it be in Newark. Mr. Murphy said he endorsed the idea of luring Amazon to the state, but wanted to ensure that New Jersey also would gain from any deal.” (New York Times)

Throughout the debate, Guadagno distanced herself from Christie, instead trying to tie Murphy to the unpopular governor. (nj.com)

MONEY MATTERS. Murphy earned another $871,000 in public funds on Wednesday, while Guadagno got $217,000.

Murphy can only receive another $1 million in public funds, while Guadagno has only received $2.3 million public funds of the $9.3 million allowed. (release)

“In what the state’s election watchdog says is an indication that campaign donors are sidestepping New Jersey’s pay-to-play laws, fundraising by party-based committees is down for the 2017 election cycle when compared with 2013, the last time the governor’s seat and full Legislature were up for grabs. That has led to calls from the state Election Law Enforcement Commission to update the laws regarding political donations, particularly those that apply to special-interest groups that are loosely affiliated with a party.” (Bergen Record)

"Two more House Republicans have joined the discharge petition to force votes on immigration, potentially leaving centrists just two signatures short of success. Reps. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) signed the discharge petition Thursday before the House left town for the Memorial Day recess. If all Democrats endorse the petition, just two more GOP signatures would be needed to reach the magic number of 218."

Source:

FIRED FROM RUSSIAN LAUNCHER

Investigators Pin Destruction of Malaysian Airliner on Russia

3 hours ago

THE DETAILS

"A missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014 was fired from a launcher belonging to Russia's 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade, investigators said Thursday. The announcement is the first time the investigative team has identified a specific division of the Russian military as possibly being involved in the strike. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in the incident."

Source:

THREE INTERVIEWS PLANNED FOR JUNE

House GOP Will Conduct New Interviews in Clinton Probe

3 hours ago

THE LATEST

"House Republicans are preparing to conduct the first interviews in over four months in their investigation into the FBI’s handling of the Clinton email probe. A joint investigation run by the Judiciary and Oversight Committees has set three witness interviews for June, including testimony from Bill Priestap, the assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, and Michael Steinbach, the former head of the FBI’s national security division."

Source:

IN OPEN LETTER TO KIM JONG UN

Trump Cancels North Korea Summit

5 hours ago

THE LATEST

GANG OF EIGHT WILL GET SEPARATE MEETING

Briefings at White House Will Now Be Bipartisan

7 hours ago

THE LATEST

"The White House confirmed Wednesday it is planning for a bipartisan group of House and Senate leaders, known as the 'Gang of 8,' to receive a highly-classified intelligence briefing on the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling, reversing plans to exclude Democrats altogether. ABC News first reported the plans to hold a separate briefing for Democrats, citing multiple administration and congressional sources. While details of the bipartisan meeting are still being worked out, a Republican-only briefing will go on as scheduled Thursday."